Judges 1:19
Now the LORD was with Judah, and they took possession of the hill country; but they could not drive out the inhabitants of the valley because they had iron chariots.
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The Lord was with them and they took the high ground but was God impotent against iron chariots? Of courses not. Judges 4 shows even 900 iron chariots is no challenge for the Lord. So why couldn’t Judah drive out the “inhabitants of the valley”?
In the first few verses in the next chapter, Judges 2, God tells the people why they failed – disobedience. When the people heard God’s pronouncement “the people lifted up their voices and wept” (Judges 2:4). They wept so much that they named the place Bochim, which means “weepers”.
Notice, however, there is no indication they repented. They cried over the loss but they made no effort to change, to correct the disobedience that caused the problem in the first place. They were sorry for the consequences but not sorry enough to change. It would have been better if they could have called the place “Repenters”, instead of “Weepers”, because it is repentance, changing our direction, obedience, that brings the blessing of God, not simply being sorry for our sin.
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John 14:23-24
Jesus replied, “If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. He who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me.
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